Small Business

iPhone Apps to Manage Cash Woes

You don’t have to ditch your office space like Big Moving Picture did in order to survive the recession. To keep its business intact until conditions improved, the San Diego-based company went into “hibernation,” shutting the office, dismissing some employees and going virtual with the rest of the team.

In the recession, virtual means cost efficient, but you need certain tools to ensure it’s also time- and effort-efficient, too.

If you’re one of the growing number of business users carrying an iPhone, you’ll be happy to know that there are several apps available to help with one key area of business: cash flow management.

Quicken – If you use QuickBooks to manage your cash flow, this app lets you look into your balance, latest transactions, enter transactions from the road and see how it’s all performing against monthly budget levels. ($9.95/month per account)

Calc-12E RPN Financial Calculator – If you don’t already know what the HP-12C is, this probably isn’t for you. Based on the most popular portable financial calculator out there, the 12E is indispensable for business owners who need the accountant’s calculator on hand in meetings with investors, in real estate deals and the like. Enter and edit cash flows, add comparative investment analysis. ($19.99 download)

Spreadsheet – You’ll need the spreadsheet app from Softalk. It doesn’t do much on its own, but it will come in handy when you want to review Excel budgets from the road. ($7.99 download)

Credit Card Terminal – If you want to collect payments on the spot – and why not seize the moment when customers are offering – this app, while not cheap, can keep cash flowing. ($49.99 to download, $25/month subscription, and $.24 per transaction)

Omni Invoice – This app allows you to issue invoices from the road. Speeding up the process of getting paid. ($9.99 to download)

Tags: cash flow, iPhone, Small Business